It Takes Two

It Takes Two to Communicate

Do you remember the old saying “it takes two to tango”? This implies you cannot ”tango” by yourself and that you needed a partner to assist. You can apply a similar idea around communication: It takes two to communicate.

I was in a conversation recently with a relative and they were talking about their partner who has anxiety. Their partner knew they had the anxiety; and had previously tried to release it but finally decided they would just live with it. Hypnotherapy and NLP can help with releasing anxiety, however when I was talking to them to see if I could have them work with another practitioner to resolve their anxiety, however they would not listen; so nothing changed. In this situation the communication was one sided.

Communication is very important in being able to live with another person. I had to learn how to communicate, because it didn’t come naturally to me and I continue to work on it every day. I wish I had known that you can get coached in learning skills to communicate better, because many of the programs I did early on were a waste of time without this skill. I am now aware that my discovery of NLP has made a substantial difference to how I communicate and has improved all of my relationships in some way.

One way of you knowing if you really understand something is to teach it to others. Since teaching NLP and communication to others; it has confirmed for me that I understand it much better than I use to. It also proves that these skills can be learned. Communication can seem complicated, and to be fair you can make it complicated if you want to. However I prefer to approach it with simplicity, and I break down the communication skills into simple chunks. The result is, you find it easy to understand and use on a daily basis.

Do you find your partner, children, parents or friends have issues or are not achieving what they want in life? Have you noticed that they do not listen, or are unable to communicate what they want? Do you know how to communicate with them to help? Do you know what to say? Are you aware of how they may be thinking and if this could be a cause to be the way they are? This knowledge or insight does not come naturally. You can learn it and practice it to improve.

Here are a few quick tips to help with two way communication:

Seek first to understand the other person, so it can help you to be understood by them

Be clear in your communication and what you want to impact

Choose an outcome for your communication. It can be to have a chat, share information, persuade another person, or even help them to visualise living the life they want

In all communication explore how to seek win-win for all parties involved

Enjoy your communication with others

Listen!

As you communicate remember it takes two. Focus on developing your communication, remember to listen to the other person, include them in the conversation and you will find you get more of what you want and the other person will too.

If you know someone who would benefit from improving their communication they can find out more on what is available at: Communication Coaching